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• 24 May ' 04:07

  May 24, 2012 2:35 AM

  Approval of Gov. Jerry Brown slips in public opinion poll -- For the first time in a major California poll since Brown took office, a plurality of likely voters disapproves of the job he is doing, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday. -- 5/24/12 Support for new California tobacco tax drops -- A ubiquitous TV ad campaign by tobacco companies has cut significantly into the support for a tobacco-tax initiative with less than two weeks to go before the election. John Myers News10 Capitol ConnectionKATHARINE MIESZKOWSKI -- 5/24/12 $ -- 5/24/12 CalBuzz: PPIC Survey Exposes CA Voters’ Self-Contradictions -- California voters remain resolutely self-conflicted in the face of a $16-billion budget deficit and a pledge by the Legislature to institute automatic cutbacks if new revenues are not forthcoming: maaaybe they’ll approve Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-hike measure, but if they should refuse they don’t want the spending cuts needed to balance the budget. Jerry RobertsPhil TrounstineCalBuzz -- 5/24/12 Special-interest spending floods Cailfornia races in new political landscape -- As federal super PACs continue to pour money into the presidential and congressional contests, state-level independent committees are spending big to influence the outcome in California's legislative races. -- 5/24/12 More outside spending in Inland congressional races -- Independent expenditure cash continues to fly in a pair of contested San Bernardino County congressional races, new federal reports show. Ben Goad -- 5/24/12 Torey Van Oot -- 5/24/12 13 candidates turn up the heat in inland congressional race -- Ten Republicans, two Democrats and one independent — at 13, the most in any state congressional race — are vying to represent California's 8th District. Phil Willon$ -- 5/24/12 Judges in California Lobby Against Cuts -- A group of California judges this week began lobbying against Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed cuts to state courts, in a campaign led by the chief justice of the state's Supreme Court. JUSTIN SCHECK$ -- 5/24/12 Democratic War for L.A.'s Richest -- Betsy Butler and Torie Osborn woo the carbon-counting strata of Assembly District 50. Patrick Range McDonaldLA Weekly -- 5/24/12 California pension funds target Wal-Mart board -- Citing the retailer's Mexico bribery scandal, CalPERS is joining with other big shareholders trying to oust members of the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. board of directors. Dale Kasler$ -- 5/24/12 Orange County candidate removed from local GOP after George Wallace mailer -- Deborah Pauly, the outspoken Villa Park councilwoman who drew community ire when she protested outside an Islamic charity event, was removed this week from a leadership position with the Orange County Republican Party's central committee. $ -- 5/24/12 Americans Elect, promoting third-party candidates, faces internal rebellion -- A hastily organized contingent of Americans Elect activists is agitating to reverse the group's decision last week to pull the plug on its nomination process after failing to generate sufficient interest in its candidates. -- 5/24/12 Vallejo, California, once bankrupt, is now a model for cities in an age of austerity -- The first couple of years were ugly. After this working-class port city became the largest in America to declare bankruptcy in 2008, crime and prostitution surged as the police force was thinned by 40 percent. Ariana Eunjung ChaWashington Post -- 5/24/12 Texas firm targets homeowners with foreclosed 2nd mortgages -- Adding new uncertainty in the state’s ongoing mortgage crisis, a Texas company is aggressively pursuing hundreds of Californians to collect second-mortgage debt – on homes they’ve already lost through foreclosure. RICK JURGENSBay Citizen -- 5/24/12 Owners owe far more than homes are worth in Sacramento area -- Homeowners in the Sacramento metropolitan area are underwater by $20.7 billion, according to a national study being released today by Seattle-based data company Zillow. -- 5/24/12 Soured Hopes for Sweet Crop -- The fields here along the Pacific Ocean are world-famous for producing vegetables, but in the past two years strawberries have toppled lettuce as the area's biggest crop. The switch has left many farmers with more cash—and a big headache. JIM CARLTONWall Street Journal$ -- 5/24/12 Siemens lands $73 million sale of light-rail cars -- Sacramento's Siemens manufacturing plant will build 18 of its S70 light-rail vehicles for TriMet in Portland, Ore., under a $73 million contract being announced today. Mark GloverSacramento Bee -- 5/24/12 Comerica report says tech sector drives California gains -- Dallas-based Comerica Bank's California Economic Activity Index broke a streak of flat readings in March, rising nearly two points to 101. Mark GloverSacramento Bee -- 5/24/12 Facebook investors file lawsuits over IPO -- The excitement over Facebook's debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange Friday has given way to investor fury. James Temple, Casey Newton -- 5/24/12 HP hopes 27,000 job cuts revitalize company -- Despite massive workforce reductions in the past that have failed to revitalize the company, Hewlett-Packard executives said the 27,000 job cuts announced Wednesday -- the biggest in its history -- will put the storied but struggling technology giant on the right path. -- 5/24/12 Twinkies maker warns 900 in California of layoffs -- Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs that filed for bankruptcy reorganization in January, has notified 894 workers in California that they may be laid off, a company spokesman confirmed. Mary Ann Milbourn -- 5/24/12 Biggest Orange County apartment building boom since ’07 -- Orange County landlords — enjoying few vacancies and rising rents — are starting a modest building spree of new complexes. Jon Lansner -- 5/24/12 Poll shows Brown tax measure holding support but a big lift remains -- A new survey suggests Gov. Jerry Brown’s apparent strategy for winning support for his November tax measure may be having the desired effect on voters – although the poll author warns the election is still a long way off. Tom Chorneau -- 5/24/12 Brown signs law authorizing $3.5 billion in school deferrals -- A week after it was publicly unveiled – and a day after two Republican lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment outlawing the practice – Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday that would protect the state’s cash flow next year by deferring $3.5 billion in payments to schools during the 2012-13 fiscal year. -- 5/24/12 Baron: Closing the bubble in foster care -- Julio is not looking forward to his 19th birthday. On that day in December, he’ll lose his apartment, his living expenses and the support of the state’s foster care system. One month later, in January 2013, the young Modesto man will be eligible to reapply for foster services under AB 12, the California Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2010. Kathryn Baron -- 5/24/12 Black students in Oakland face harsher discipline -- Black students in Oakland public schools face harsher discipline, miss more school, and are likelier to dropout than white males, according to new research. Mary Flynn -- 5/24/12 LAUSD will pay $200,000 settlement over alleged sexual harassment by former Superintendent Ramon Cortines -- Los Angeles Unified will pay $200,000 and give lifetime health benefits to settle a sexual-harassment allegation filed by a facilities executive against retired Superintendent Ramon Cortines, officials said Wednesday. -- 5/24/12 Lopez: A second opinion about the PSA prostate cancer test -- So the PSA test for prostate cancer should be abandoned, according to a government advisory panel? Not in the opinion of highly regarded Santa Monica urologist Milton Krisiloff, who was my doctor in the late 1990s when I lived on that side of town. $ -- 5/24/12 California Fish and Game sues U.S. Army Corps over levee trees -- The state of California sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday to fight rules that could eliminate trees on levees in Sacramento and statewide. Matt WeiserSacramento Bee -- 5/24/12 Protesters ask Edison to decommission San Onofre nuclear plant -- Environmental and anti-nuclear activists gathered at Southern California Edison headquarters in Irvine on Wednesday calling for the San Onofre nuclear plant to be decommissioned and for the utility to implement more extensive conservation programs. Abby Sewell$ -- 5/24/12 L.A. makes history with ban on plastic bags at stores -- Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping. Abby Sewell$ -- 5/24/12 Workplace fatalities rise in confined spaces -- From a Napa winemaker to a paint manufacturing employee in Fullerton, seven Californians died last year while working in a confined space – an uptick in a category of workplace fatalities that are readily preventable, experts said. Bernice Yeung -- 5/24/12 Bay Area residents sue process servers for failing to deliver lawsuits -- In February 2011, a process server working for ABC Legal Services filed a document with the Alameda County Superior Court saying he had personally served Fremont physical education teacher Matthew Walker with a lawsuit over an unpaid $2,340.76 personal loan. Bernice YeungCalifornia Watch -- 5/24/12 Sacramento Bee, LA Times sue to force UC disclosure of pepper spray officer names -- The Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times filed suit today against the University of California Board of Regents in a bid to force the release of police officer names that have been kept secret from the public since last November's pepper-spray incident on the UC Davis campus. Sam StantonSacramento BeeLee Romney$ -- 5/24/12 LA Times editor in chief is on Twitter - and gets hacked -- Davan Maharaj has only posted 26 tweets thus far — including two today noting that he has had to change his password. Kevin RoderickLA Observed -- 5/24/12 Berkeley police chief defends actions in search for his son's iPhone -- Denying that his son received preferential treatment, the Berkeley police chief Wednesday defended using 10 officers to knock on doors in search of the teen's stolen cellphone. Angela Woodall -- 5/24/12 Orange County HDTV maker Vizio sued by MIT over patents -- Vizio Inc., Irvine maker of high definition TVs and other electronic devices, is being sued on claims of infringement on four patents held by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. JAN NORMANOrange County Register -- 5/24/12 Orange County congressman’s dispute with Karzai escalates -- It’s been clear for a while that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Afghan President Hamid Karzai weren’t going to be sharing jokes over tea – especially since Karzai blocked Rohrabacher from even entering Afghanistan last month as part of a congressional delegation. Martin WisckolOrange County Register -- 5/24/12 Obama Touts ‘Extraordinary’ Accomplishments at California Fund-Raisers -- President Obama spent his evening Wednesday trolling for campaign funds amid the cultural and high-tech glitterati of Northern California, arguing that his accomplishments had been “extraordinary” but warning that it may take even beyond a second term to complete them. PETER BAKERNew York Times$ -- 5/24/12 President Obama's cash crusade gets under way -- President Obama's 16-hour Bay Area fundraising whirlwind, which began Wednesday and is expected to net more than $4 million, confirms a sobering fact of the 2012 campaign: California voters with a checkbook in hand are much more likely to see the president in the flesh. Carla Marinucci, Joe Garofoli and Stephen TungDavid SidersSacramento Bee -- 5/24/12 Saunders: The House's octogenarian incumbents -- When Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., lost the GOP primary to challenger Richard Mourdock this month, Beltway types saw the voters' verdict as a victory for the Tea Party and a defeat for the kind of Republican who could work across the aisle. Debra J. Saunders -- 5/24/12 Democrats stiffen spine on sequester -- Power in Washington these days is most defined by saying “no,” which helps explain why Speaker John Boehner felt compelled last week — in the middle of May — to bring up a wintry debt ceiling fight more than six months away. DAVID ROGERSPolitico -- 5/24/12

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• 23 May ' 19:29

  May 23, 2012 5:27 PM

  * Updates Report: Ending corporate tax breaks would help trim budget deficit -- As lawmakers begin to haggle over the state budget, the California Tax Reform Assn. said Wednesday that they need to eliminate $6 billion in tax breaks for large corporations. Chris Megerian LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/23/12 Hewlett-Packard to Cut 27,000 Jobs -- Saying it needed to reduce expenses to reinvigorate its struggling business, Hewlett Packard on Wednesday said it will cut its workforce by 27,000 employees, while reporting a drop in sales and profit for its second quarter. Steve Johnson in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/23/12 Ron Thomas Confirms Firing of Cops Who Beat His Son on KPCC's AirTalk With Larry Mantle -- Ron Thomas appeared on 89.3 KPCC this morning and confirmed that three officers involved in the beating of his son Kelly have been handed termination papers. Speaking to show host Larry Mantle, Thomas said officers Joe Wolfe, Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli have been presented letters of intent to terminate. Brandon FergusonOC Weekly -- 5/23/12 Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst moves $2 million into PAC -- StudentsFirst, the education advocacy group formed by former Washington D.C. public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, has poured $2 million into a campaign committee created to influence state legislative races ahead of the June 5 primary. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/23/12 Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved -- Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to adopt a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/12 Jury: Google didn't infringe on Oracle patents -- A federal jury in San Francisco has decided that Google didn't infringe on Oracle's patents when the search company developed its popular Android software for mobile devices. Associated Press -- 5/23/12 Charles Munger's push for Beth Gaines becomes campaign issue -- Competing radio ads spotlight wealthy Stanford physicist Charles T. Munger Jr.'s deep-pockets support for incumbent Assemblywoman Beth Gaines against challenger Andy Pugno in a Placer County-based Assembly district. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/23/12 California lawmakers want FAA to regulate helicopter noise -- Reps. Howard Berman, Henry Waxman, Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman and Janice Hahn and Sens. Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, all Democrats, said Wednesday in a letter to LaHood that the FAA should do a better job regulating helicopter noise. Keith LaingThe Hill -- 5/23/12 California voters support reduced drug possession penalties, survey says -- Backers of a measure that would reduce possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine from a felony to a misdemeanor released a survey Wednesday that indicated up to 70% of likely voters statewide support the change. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/23/12 Fox: Prop 29 Could Begin Push to Tax Specific Products and Services -- If the Proposition 29 tobacco tax passes on June 5th, it could kick off a negative trend of targeted taxes on products and services. Joel FoxFox & Hounds -- 5/23/12 State Pols May Soon Feel the Pay Pinch -- Grappling with a $16 billion shortfall, California's elected leaders are bracing for more bad budgetary news, this time of a more personal nature. Kevin Riggs NBC LA Prop Zero -- 5/23/12 Congressional committees looking into Facebook IPO problems -- Two congressional committees are looking into the troubled initial public offering of Facebook Inc., aides said Wednesday. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/12 New satirical ad: Californians “supporting” Big Tobacco -- Portal A, the much-lauded ad creators who gave California the “Ed Lee’s 2 Legit 2 Quit” video is now taking on Big Tobacco with a new pro-Prop 29 ad. Joe GarofoliChronicle Politics -- 5/23/12 Obama’s Asian American Pacific Islander outreach re-located to San Jose “for logistical purposes” -- President Obama’s big $40,000 per person Asian American business round table fundraiser planned for Thursday has been moved from Palo Alto to downtown San Jose “for logistical purposes,” the campaign said today. Carla MarinucciChronicle PoliticsMike Rosenberg in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/23/12

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• 23 May ' 08:19

  May 23, 2012 2:29 AM

  Budget shortfall could mean shorter school year -- California's public schools could see as much as a month of classroom time slashed from the calendar if voters reject a plan to raise taxes in November. Wyatt Buchanan -- 5/23/12 Brown makes pitch to business leaders for tax hikes -- Gov. Jerry Brown hopes that if he can convince business leaders to support his tax-hike initiative, otherwise skeptical voters might just go along with it. Steven Harmon -- 5/23/12 Jerry Brown's Optimism Has Been Costly -- His insistence that California's budget woes weren't that bad — when they were — might have cost voters a chance to close corporate tax loopholes. Robert GammonEast Bay Express -- 5/23/12 Walters: Jerry Brown struggles on three fronts on state budget -- As the state budget's deficit widens, Gov. Jerry Brown is being thrust into a three-front political battle. -- 5/23/12 Libertarians fight business-labor coalition on term limits measure -- Out-of-state libertarians are trying to defeat a term limits measure on the June ballot, but so far, they haven't been able to match the financial heft of the coalition of unions and business interests backing it. Will Evans -- 5/23/12 California continues courtroom push to cut costs -- Gov. Jerry Brown still hopes to slash spending on healthcare and home care for the poor, and his revised budget proposal includes cuts that have already been blocked by federal courts. Chris Megerian$ -- 5/23/12 LAO: Using mortgage settlement for budget 'makes sense' -- The state's top fiscal analyst said today that it "makes sense" for California to help bridge its $15.7 billion deficit with mortgage settlement money, and that the state should be even more aggressive by using more money upfront than Gov. Jerry Brown proposed. SacBee Capitol AlertMarc Lifsher$ -- 5/23/12 Herdt: One district, two types of Democrats -- For better or worse, Santa Barbara and Oxnard are destined to remain politically tethered for at least another decade, joined by legislative districts that connect the flatlands of the Oxnard Plain with the coastal bluffs of Montecito. -- 5/23/12 Howard Berman, Brad Sherman jockey over credit for 405 Freeway expansion -- Congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman - locked in a heated congressional race - tussled Tuesday over which politician is responsible for the recent expansion of the 405 Freeway. Dakota Smith -- 5/23/12 Thousands of voters receive wrong political mailers -- There may be some San Carlos residents wondering who Ray Ellis is and some La Jollans asking why they should vote for Scott Sherman after a snafu that sent tens of thousands of campaign mailers to the wrong part of the city. Jen Lebron Kuhney -- 5/23/12 Did Orange County assemblyman illegally funnel thousands of dollars to a Democratic ally? -- State officials are investigating whether an Orange County assemblyman illegally funneled thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to a political ally and former O.C. lawmaker. BRIAN JOSEPH -- 5/23/12 Leno looks to add San Mateo County constituents -- An entrenched Democrat will likely hold off a socially liberal Republican in the newly drawn state Senate district that encompasses San Francisco and parts of northern San Mateo County. Aaron Kinney -- 5/23/12 National spotlight on the race for CD31 -- A high-stakes showdown with national implications is brewing in the San Bernardino Valley, where six candidates are vying to represent California’s newly drawn 31st Congressional District. BEN GOADRiverside Press -- 5/23/12 Solano County won’t review 300 more autopsies -- Dr. Thomas Gill’s forensic pathology career already was scarred by numerous autopsy mistakes before he started ruling on causes of death for the Solano County sheriff-coroner in 2007. Ryan Gabrielson -- 5/23/12 San Jose City Council leaves minimum-wage hike to voters -- Despite pressure by low-income workers and their supporters to adopt a $10 minimum wage ordinance, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday night agreed to let voters decide the thorny issue in the fall, giving residents and business owners more time to weigh in. -- 5/23/12 Facebook IPO flop drawing increased scrutiny -- As Facebook shares continued their slide, regulators launched inquiries into whether privileged Wall Street insiders were alerted to the company's weakening financial projections, leading them to shun the stock or dump shares just as buying was opened to the public. Andrew TangelStuart Pfeifer$ -- 5/23/12 Plan for U.S. ‘Entrepreneur’s Visa’ Moves Forward -- A bipartisan group of senators will introduce legislation Tuesday that would seek to make it easier for foreign students who hold post-graduate degrees in math, science or engineering from American colleges to remain in the U.S. after they finish their studies. Corey BolesWall Street Journal$ -- 5/23/12 Hiltzik: Has blazing a trail in solar energy cost California too much? -- California leads the nation in solar power, but the proliferation of home installations has been fueled by electric rate incentives. A battle over how much longer they will be available is being waged. Michael Hiltzik$ -- 5/23/12 After 2 years, SF's solar projects still on hold -- Despite promising to install solar panels on as many municipal buildings as possible, including City Hall and Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco has not awarded contracts for solar projects in nearly three years. RYAN JACOBS -- 5/23/12 Registrations show new-vehicle increase in California -- New-vehicle registrations statewide rose nearly 18 percent in this year's first quarter compared with the year-ago period, according to the latest report released by the Sacramento-based California New Car Dealers Association. Mark Glover -- 5/23/12 Sacramento City Council to explore November sales-tax ballot measure -- Citing a new poll that shows a strong majority of Sacramento residents support a local sales tax hike to fund core city services, the City Council on Tuesday directed staff to move forward with exploring a tax measure for the November ballot. Ryan Lillis -- 5/23/12 Oakland schools' black male students at risk -- By the time they reach middle school, more than half of the African American males in Oakland show signs they'll miss high school graduation day, with suspensions and chronic absenteeism topping the list of common characteristics among them, according to a study released Tuesday. Jill Tucker -- 5/23/12 Assembly school finance guru sides with Brown on Prop. 98 -- The state's fiscal analyst has explained one way lawmakers could avoid Gov. Jerry Brown's deepest cuts, but the Legislature's top education finance aide said today that solution is unconstitutional. -- 5/23/12 Fensterwald: Race to the Top opens up to districts -- California school districts will finally be able to seek Race to the Top money without interference and resistance from Gov. Jerry Brown and state officials. -- 5/23/12 Individual districts may apply for $400 million, fourth-round RTT grants -- Individual or groups of school districts are eligible for a shot at millions of dollars under the latest ‘Race to the Top’ federal grant program, the Obama administration announced Tuesday. -- 5/23/12 L.A. Unified can apply for federal Race to the Top funds -- For the first time, the U.S. Department of Education will let districts bypass state officials. L.A. Unified wants funds to alter the teacher evaluation process. Howard BlumeLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/12 Vargo: Schools must repair their other damaged infra-structure: relationships -- Infrastructure is not sexy. It sounds like pipes, highways, and wiring. In education, it is both people and organizations, and it takes both kinds of infrastructure to deliver but also to improve education. Merrill Vargo -- 5/23/12 Sac schools get $4.1 million in federal grants for afterschool, summer learning programs -- After-school and summer learning programs offered at Sacramento City Unified School District campuses will get a boost from more than $4 million in federal grants, the district learned this month. -- 5/23/12 LAUSD board OKs college-prep plan -- With just three months to go before a mandatory college-prep curriculum takes effect, the Los Angeles Unified board gave lukewarm support Tuesday to a policy that outlines how the program will be implemented. Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/23/12 Bill Would Make “Opt-Out” A Little Tougher -- California is one of 20 states that allows parents to “opt out” of vaccines for their children simply by signing a form. Lisa Aliferis -- 5/23/12 Removing the Stigma from Mental Illness -- For Ron Oden, the imaginary conversations were the first sign that his wife Felicia was becoming mentally ill. Suzanne PotterHealthyCal.org -- 5/23/12 Bay Area open space: 75 percent is being protected, but 300,000 acres are still at risk -- Roughly 75 percent of all the land in the Bay Area is either permanently protected in parks or open space, or at low risk of development because it is zoned for farming or other rural uses. -- 5/23/12 A New Vision for Alameda Point -- Environmentalists and local activists are pushing for a new park on the former Naval Air Station, and to move a planned VA facility. Corey HillEast Bay Express -- 5/23/12 Lopez: L.A.'s sweeping ban isn't in the bag yet -- Councilman Paul Koretz has proposed banning plastic and paper bags. But lobbyists for the bag industry are pitching a weaker alternative at City Hall. Steve Lopez$ -- 5/23/12 Trendspotting: Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of the Cloud -- Since April, the environmental organization Greenpeace has had a bull’s-eye on Apple in its campaign to clean up the Internet “Cloud” that stores our music, apps, and photos. Alison van Diggelen KQED Climate Watch -- 5/23/12 Occupiers' shouting prevents vote Oakland weapons ban -- Council members never made it to a vote Tuesday on a proposal to ban Occupy Oakland's weapons of choice from protests -- cutting the meeting short when Occupiers repeatedly disrupted a critic. -- 5/23/12 Reagan blood sample vial for sale, controversy included -- The auction of a tube that held blood taken after President Reagan was shot in 1981 draws interest from collectors of celebrity relics and opposition from the Reagan presidential foundation. $ -- 5/23/12 State questions billions of redevelopment bills from Orange County cities -- A primal tug-of-war over billions of dollars in future property taxes is on. Teri SforzaOrange County Register -- 5/23/12 Matier & Ross: Warriors take up where Larry Ellison left off -- From San Francisco's perspective, the Warriors arena deal may go down as one of the finest instances ever of turning a lemon into lemonade. -- 5/23/12 The New News Economy -- As newspapers struggle, nonprofit news is being touted as the key to the future. Is it? Rachel SwanEast Bay Express -- 5/23/12 Orange County supervisors decline to honor Harvey Milk's birthday -- again -- As cities and schools across California celebrated the 82nd birthday of slain gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, Orange County elected leaders remained steadfastly silent. Nicole Santa Cruz$ -- 5/23/12 L.A. Supervisors admit lingering problems at foster care office -- The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services facility, cited by a whistle-blower nearly a year ago, remains a 'dumping ground' for troubled children, Gloria Molina says. Garrett Therolf$ -- 5/23/12 Group that backed downtown stadium criticizes environmental report -- The Natural Resources Defense Council says the document on the proposed football stadium failed to fully analyze traffic-related health risks. David Zahniser$ -- 5/23/12 Obama campaign rolls out its LGBT drive in California -- Weeks after President Barack Obama's announcement of support for same-sex marriage and on the eve of his latest Bay Area fundraisers, his campaign rolled out its appeal to LGBT voters Tuesday with a rallying cry from a community hero. -- 5/23/12 Obama sees gold on California coast, little inland -- President Barack Obama has dined atop San Francisco's Nob Hill, overlooked the Pacific from Corona Del Mar and rubbed shoulders with celebrities at George Clooney's Hollywood mansion. Claire Veyriras -- 5/23/12 Top politicos see record cash haul from Bay Area -- The Bay Area will host an unprecedented conga line of political fundraising events starting Wednesday, as President Obama, Mitt Romney, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican budget architect Rep. Paul Ryan pass through the region to haul away what fundraisers say will be a record amount of campaign contributions in such a short period. Joe Garofoli -- 5/23/12 Barack Obama and Mitt Romney come to 'shake the trees' in California -- Even for a president who has lost some of his luster, donor-rich California remains a generous state. Phillip Reese and -- 5/23/12 Ann Romney and dressage: A pricey private world -- Testimony in a lawsuit — from which she was eventually dropped — reveals the would-be first lady's passionate engagement in dressage, a sport she believes helps her deal with multiple sclerosis. Robin Abcarian$ -- 5/23/12 Morain: Mitt dings California, as his coffers go 'ka-ching' -- National politicians are delighted to come to California to raise campaign money. As Mitt Romney showed recently, some of them are perfectly happy to take shots at the Golden State once they leave. Dan Morain -- 5/23/12 Romney opens wallet for GOP lawmakers -- Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will help Republicans in tough House and Senate races with fundraising, a contrast with a refusal from President Obama’s campaign to make any cash transfers to House and Senate Democratic committees. Cameron JosephThe Hill -- 5/23/12

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• 22 May ' 20:29

  May 22, 2012 2:07 PM

  * Updates Debt-ridden Stockton extends negotiations with creditors -- The city of Stockton and its creditors have agreed to extend mediation required before a municipal bankruptcy for an extra 30 days. Diana Marcum LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/22/12 Fed regional bank directors saw improvement in economy -- Directors at the Federal Reserve's regional banks saw a pickup in the pace of economic growth last month as housing, motor vehicle sales and consumer spending gained strength. Bloomberg -- 5/22/12 Jerry Brown says he's a protagonist with one more act to come -- Gov. Jerry Brown, burdened by persistent budget deficits and with much of his agenda still unfulfilled, has tried in recent weeks to lower expectations for his second year. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/22/12 California fiscal analyst skeptical of Jerry Brown's education budget -- It was a bizarre component of Gov. Jerry Brown's latest budget - despite fewer revenues than expected in January, the governor said the state actually owes more to schools under its complicated funding formula. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/22/12 School boards endorse both major California tax hike initiatives -- The California School Boards Association has endorsed both Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative and a rival measure on the November ballot, calling the dual backing "an unprecedented move." Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/22/12 State plans big changes to testing, instruction -- California has embarked on a course to fundamentally reshape how every student is taught and tested. Michael GardnerUT San Diego -- 5/22/12 San Francisco gay marriage case goes to federal appeals court in September -- A federal appeals court will hear arguments in September in a legal challenge to the federal ban on same-sex marriage benefits. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/22/12 Cuba's first daughter lands in Bay Area -- The visit by Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, adds to the diplomatic dramas that have characterized U.S.-Cuba relations since her uncle, Fidel Castro, took over the island in 1959. Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/22/12 Hamid Karzai blows top over Dana Rohrabacher -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says Rep. Dana Rohrabacher will be banned from entering his country until the congressman “changes his tongue” and stops criticizing Afghanistan. MJ LEEPolitico -- 5/22/12 Assembly candidate Daigle gets another $200k -- Moderate Republican activist Charles Munger Jr.’s committee today reported spending another $202,000 to help Newport Beach Councilwoman Leslie Daigle try to make it through the primary and into the November runoff. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/12 Democrat Xochitl Paderes drops out of Stockton Assembly race -- The community activist told the Stockton Record that she was worried about the effect campaign attacks could have on her family. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/22/12 San Francisco harbor pilot bill hits a roadblock -- One of the year's fiercest lobbying battles - pitting ocean freighter companies against San Francisco Bay harbor pilots - has been postponed, at least for the time being. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/22/12 Auction of blood vial said to be Reagan's angers foundation -- A British online auction house is offering a glass vial that it says held blood samples taken from President Reagan after his attempted assassination in 1981. Steve Chawkins in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/12 Tesla's Model S will land with customers on June 22, Fremont event planned -- Tesla Motors said on Tuesday it will begin delivering its Model S sedan to customers on June 22, identifying the date for the launch of the electric carmaker's most crucial launch yet. Reuters -- 5/22/12 Foes target Boehner/Lungren event in Woodside -- Liberal activists organized by CREDO SuperPAC are planning to protest outside a fundraiser that House Speaker John Boehner is holding Wednesday on Portola Road in Woodside with Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River. Josh RichmanPolitical Blotter -- 5/22/12 Ross Mirkarimi begins campaign to keep sheriff job -- Ross Mirkarimi, who won a hard-fought race for San Francisco sheriff last fall, now is campaigning to save his job - showing up at political and community events, making media appearances and walking a commercial corridor to talk to constituents. Rachel Gordon in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 Warriors to build new arena, move back to San Francisco -- The Golden State Warriors are jumping across the bay, with plans for a privately financed, $500 million waterfront arena that would allow the team to play its home games in San Francisco for the first time in more than four decades. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 POLITICOPlayback: 5/22/12

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• 22 May ' 09:53

  May 22, 2012 2:41 AM

  California pay commission to consider 5 percent cut for state elected officials -- One week after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed slicing state workers' pay by 5 percent, the Democratic governor and legislators find themselves targeted for a "share the pain" salary cut. -- 5/22/12 Walters: Incredible complexity of school finance hits home -- When Gov. Jerry Brown called the state budget "a pretzel palace of incredible complexity" last week, he was stating, in his inimitable way, the obvious. -- 5/22/12 Rep. Pete Stark faces challenge from young Democrat and tea party independent -- In 1972, Pete Stark was a young upstart challenging an elderly, veteran congressman of his own party by painting him as out of touch with his constituents and modern priorities. Ain't karma a bummer? Josh Richman -- 5/22/12 -- 5/22/12 California Senate votes to allow self-driving cars -- California took a step toward becoming the second state in the nation to allow self-driven cars on its roads on Monday, as the state Senate unanimously agreed to allow autonomously driven vehicles such as those pioneered by Google. Mary SlossonReuters -- 5/22/12 PG&E pledges crackdown on repeated pressure surges -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has accidentally over-pressurized pipelines on its gas system more than 120 times since the San Bruno explosion - a rate that the company's top gas official says is unacceptable and that experts fear could increase the risk of a similar disaster. Jaxon Van Derbeken -- 5/22/12 California Public Utilities Commission transparency bill dies -- The state Senate has rejected a bill that would have required utility regulators to make public all investigation orders, accident reports and related documents. The bill, SB 1000, by Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) fell two votes shy of the minimum of 21 needed for passage. The item is in the $ -- 5/22/12 California relies on oil firms to probe worker's death -- Nearly a year after a Kern County oil worker was sucked underground and boiled to death, state authorities have turned to the two leading oil companies involved in the incident to investigate it. $ -- 5/22/12 California agency says oil worker's death came after injection drilling started -- The Kern County sinkhole in which a Chevron oil worker died last June was in an area with spills and seeps dating back to the mid-1990s – about a year after oil producers started using a controversial kind of injection drilling there, state regulators said in a report released Monday. -- 5/22/12 Frustrated veterans descend on 'Fix-it" event -- Chris Munich was part of the military force that invaded Iraq in 2003, which within nine months had toppled Iraq's government. Munich has been waiting almost two years for the Oakland Veterans Affairs office to consider his request to upgrade the rating on his disability for post-traumatic stress disorder. Gary PetersonAARON GLANTZBay Citizen -- 5/22/12 Immigrants rally at California Capitol for rights of domestic workers -- Neira Ortega said she left Oaxaca, Mexico, 15 years ago for a better life in California. She said she didn't realize she would end up a virtual prisoner in her employer's Chula Vista home. Stephen Magagnini -- 5/22/12 Assemblyman Hernandez pleads not guilty to drunk driving -- Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) has pleaded not guilty to drunk driving charges stemming from his March arrest in Concord, Calif., officials confirmed Monday. $ -- 5/22/12 Proposed tax on strip clubs would fund sexual assault centers -- Now that it's been upheld by that state's highest court in a decision the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review, Assemblyman Das Williams wants California to climb on board. -- 5/22/12 L.A. City Council OKs $7.2-billion budget -- Spending plan expands library hours and increases money for pothole repairs while eliminating 400 vacant jobs, but it delays action on layoffs. Kate Linthicum$ -- 5/22/12 Cosco Busan oil-spill pilot trying to sail in San Francisco Bay again -- Capt. John Cota, who was blamed for causing the worst oil spill in San Francisco Bay in two decades when he crashed the cargo ship Cosco Busan into the Bay Bridge in 2007, is quietly trying to regain his mariner's license. Paul Rogers -- 5/22/12 Berkeley Police Chief calls on officers to track down son's stolen iPhone in Oakland -- When Berkeley police Chief Michael Meehan's son's cell phone was stolen in January, 10 police officers were sent to track it down, with some working overtime at taxpayer expense, police said Monday. Kristin J. BenderOakland TribuneHenry K. Lee -- 5/22/12 $172 million in property values unlawfully lowered, D.A. says -- A former Los Angeles County property appraiser was taken into custody in Oregon on Monday, accused of falsifying documents and unlawfully lowering property values by $172 million on multimillion-dollar homes and businesses. $ -- 5/22/12 San Jose City Council to consider higher minimum wage on Tuesday -- It may have started as an attempt to help the common worker, those making minimum wage in high-priced Silicon Valley. But if San Jose agrees to raise the hourly minimum wage in the city, the majority of businesses who employ minimum-wage workers say they'll have to cut employee hours or lay off workers and raise prices. Tracy Seipel -- 5/22/12 Reno's Silver Legacy files for Chapter 11; Indian casinos a factor -- The Silver Legacy was supposed to rejuvenate Reno's ailing casino market. Instead, it became one of the biggest victims to date of the Northern California Indian gaming. Dale KaslerSacramento Bee -- 5/22/12 Pay raise initiative for Long Beach hotel workers qualifies for November ballot -- A ballot initiative to raise pay for hotel workers has gathered enough valid voter signatures to be placed on the November ballot, according to the Long Beach City Clerk's Office. Eric BradleyLong Beach Press -- 5/22/12 Golden State Warriors owners make a risky play -- They bought the perennially underperforming Golden State Warriors in 2010 for $450 million - the most anybody had ever paid for a professional basketball team. Now they've pledged to build a new arena in San Francisco on piers that are literally crumbling into the bay. Heather Knight -- 5/22/12 Taxes - Fees Folsom may charge $225 fee for calls for rescue and emergency medical aid -- In an effort to maintain its current level of service, the Folsom Fire Department proposes to charge a fee when it responds to calls for rescue and emergency medical aid. Cathy LockeSacramento Bee -- 5/22/12 Record number of school districts in financial jeopardy -- The highest number of school districts in state and county history have reported being in financial jeopardy, a record that means 2.6 million California children attend districts that are struggling with budget woes. Karen Kucher$ Kathryn Baron -- 5/22/12 Federal judge won't hear parents advocacy group's suit over Title I funds -- A federal judge refused Monday to take jurisdiction of a lawsuit filed by a parents advocacy group, which claims that Los Angeles Unified illegally suspended its operation and seized control of federal money set aside for its use. Barbara Jones -- 5/22/12 Nearly $100,000 in college checks appear forged, audit finds -- Nearly $100,000 in checks made out to the head of a Los Angeles Trade Tech college foundation appear to have been forged, according to an audit released Monday. Abby Sewell$ -- 5/22/12 CA Senate passes bill that limits salaries at CSU -- Senate Bill 952, by Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-Santa Clara, prohibits CSU workers making more than $200,000 from receiving a raise until June 30, 2014. Annual raises for those workers would be limited to 10 percent from 2014 to 2018. Hannah Madans -- 5/22/12 CSU pulls $200,000 bid request for executive pay consultant -- After recently posting a bid for an executive compensation consultant for the first time in eight years, California State University officials decided late last week to cancel the request for proposals – citing budget concerns. Erica Perez -- 5/22/12 CSU admission numbers increase for fall, but may drop next year -- The number of students admitted this fall at Cal State University is up, especially among freshmen. However, CSU officials that those numbers could be drastically reduced next year in the wake of state budget cuts. Kelly PuenteLong Beach PressCarla Rivera$ -- 5/22/12 Fensterwald: CSBA: Vote for both tax plans -- The state PTA backs the tax initiative financed by civil rights attorney Molly Munger; the California Teachers Association and the Association of California School Administrators endorsed the governor’s. This week, the California School Boards Association decided to support both. -- 5/22/12 Los Gatos school leaders end seismic-related construction stall -- Los Gatos school trustees have rescinded a contentious decision to close a mountain community's elementary school and halt plans for a new campus over concerns about seismic safety and cost increases. Corey G. JohnsonCalifornia Watch -- 5/22/12 Bill would set attendance limit for early college and middle high school students -- Introduced by Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Oakland, SB 1316 would amend California education code to allow early college high schools and middle college high schools to offer 180-minute instructional days to students simultaneously taking two or more part-time classes at California State University, the University of California, or a community college. Marc Maloney -- 5/22/12 Skinner bill would use some Cap and Trade profits for school energy upgrades -- Assemblymember Nancy Skinner is expected to introduce a bill on Tuesday that would use a portion of the money that businesses generate from trading carbon emissions permits to make schools more energy efficient. -- 5/22/12 Valley Alzheimer's advocates welcome research -- The Obama administration's decision to spend millions of dollars for Alzheimer's research couldn't come at a better time, say advocates for people with the disease and their families in the central San Joaquin Valley. Barbara AndersonFresno Bee -- 5/22/12 Fresno Alzheimer's caregivers face end of help -- A program in Fresno that helps family members care for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease could shut down next month unless state funding is restored. Barbara AndersonFresno Bee -- 5/22/12 Proposition 29: First Cigarette Tax Increase in 13 Years. Yes or No? -- California voters are schizophrenic when it comes to regulating smoking. Polls show broad support for bans on smoking on sidewalks and public parks. Some cities have even outlawed smoking in apartment buildings. Sarah Varney KQED State of Health -- 5/22/12 PSA test for prostate cancer should be dropped, task force says -- An expert advisory panel argues that needless treatments hurt many more men than are helped by early detection, but some doctors take issue. Rosie Mestel$ -- 5/22/12 Three Delta Disasters that Could Disrupt California’s Water Supply -- Storms, quakes and creeping saltwater intrusion could all spell trouble at the tap. Jeremy MillerKQED Climate Watch -- 5/22/12 Developer offers 'no-electric bill' homes in Brentwood and Rio Vista retirement communities -- Retired PG&E worker Spencer Brown was at first a bit skeptical about SheaXero, the "no-electric bill" homes now under construction by Shea Homes at the Trilogy retirement resort communities in Brentwood and Rio Vista. Paula King -- 5/22/12 Folsom-based ISO moves to foster small solar projects -- Commercial rooftop solar arrays and other small-scale generators are expected to gain easier connection to local electricity grids under a measure approved recently by the California Independent System Operator Corp., based in Folsom. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/12 Lee proposal backs middle-class housing in San Francisco -- There may finally be a solution to helping middle-class San Franciscans who cannot afford to buy a home of their own in the city. John CotéSan Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 Occupy Occupy Oakland activists escape hate-crime charges -- Alameda County prosecutors dropped robbery and hate-crime charges Monday that they had filed against three Occupy Oakland demonstrators who got into an ugly altercation with a woman at a rally. Demian BulwaSan Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 City of Sacramento loses case against Occupy protester -- A Superior Court judge ruled Monday that the city of Sacramento cannot levy administrative penalties on an Occupy Sacramento protester who allegedly violated the city's curfew laws last year at Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown Sacramento. Timothy Sandoval in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/12 Marijuana found floating off OC said to be worth $4 million -- Roughly 8,000 pounds of the drug -- bound into more than 100 bales -- was found bobbing in the water just before noon Sunday by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. It took three boats to haul the marijuana into Dana Point Harbor. Rick Rojas in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/12 Oakland rescinds dispensary permit -- Oakland officials have nixed a proposed medical marijuana dispensary because of the operators' ties to a "potrepreneur" facing 13 felony charges for defrauding the city. Matthew Artz in the -- 5/22/12 Oakland may have to spend millions on new police computer system -- Under pressure to meet court-ordered reform deadlines, the Oakland Police Department is considering spending millions of dollars on a computer system to track police data and complaints against officers, The Bay Citizen has learned. SHOSHANA WALTERBay Citizen -- 5/22/12 Court: Juvenile case still counts in three strikes -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a San Jose man's challenge to California's use of its "three strikes" law to increase prison sentences for some felons who had convictions as juveniles. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 San Francisco street to be renamed for Nancy Pelosi -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will join the likes of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday afternoon after a San Francisco street is named in her honor. Kate Mather in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/12 Billboard firm rejects PETA's Hanford mad cow ad -- The animal rights group PETA tried to place a billboard in Hanford stating "Real Milk Comes from Real Sick Cows" and urging people to "Go Vegan," but the nation's biggest billboard company told the group no. Lewis Griswold in the Fresno Bee -- 5/22/12 L.A. parks worker accused of selling city gasoline on black market -- According to police, the pair were detained after officers watched Lee fill up portable gas cans at a city fueling site in South Los Angeles and transfer the cans into a private vehicle several blocks away. Andrew Blankstein in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/12 Most devoted poll worker? At age 99, Orangevale woman a shoo-in -- Now she's 99, a few months shy of her 100th birthday – and for the June 5 primary, she will work as a clerk in a Folsom precinct alongside a first-time poll worker 80 years her junior. Anita Creamer in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/12 The calls that aren’t coming -- He doesn’t call. He doesn’t write. He doesn’t drop by for a visit. That’s what some of the most senior Democrats in Congress are experiencing from President Barack Obama these days. MANU RAJU -- 5/22/12 Obama rejects Cory Booker critique, calls Bain attack fair game -- President Obama said Monday that using Bain Capital to question Mitt Romney’s economic credentials is not only fair game, but part of his core argument against his Republican foe in the coming general election campaign. Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/12 Asian Americans grab Obama's attention -- President Obama, born in Hawaii, raised in Indonesia and dubbed by some "the first Asian American president," looks to be embracing that label with an exclusive, $40,000-a-head Bay Area business roundtable for Asian American and Pacific Islander supporters Thursday. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12 Saunders: The Democrats' war on money -- Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., came across as a moderate, sensible Democrat when he said on "Meet the Press" on Sunday that negative political ads are "nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright." Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/12

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• 21 May ' 21:59

  May 21, 2012 4:15 PM

  * Since Early This Morning Assembly approves mandatory arrests for airport gun incidents -- Four months after a California assemblyman was cited and released for carrying a gun into an airport, the Assembly passed legislation today that would require offenders to be taken into custody in such situations. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/21/12 Pay panel to consider salary cut for elected officials, member says -- California's salary setting commission is bracing next week to consider a 5 percent pay cut for legislators and other statewide officeholders, in keeping with a similar cut proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown for state workers. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/21/12 State Senate OKs moratorium on university executive pay raises -- Executives at California State University campuses would be prohibited from getting public pay increases during the next two years and then limited to 10% raises during the next four years under legislation approved Monday by the state Senate. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 Senate approves rules for self-driving cars in California -- Senate Bill 1298, by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, targets "autonomous vehicles" that can navigate the roads without a human driver. Google has been working on one prototype and already taken to the streets for testing, including demonstrations here in Sacramento. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol AlertPatrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 Tax checkoff, car plates for parks proposed -- Two North San Diego County Republican lawmakers have joined forces with Democrats to push legislation that would allow Californians to voluntarily contribute part of their income tax refund to parks in return for an annual admission pass. Michael GardnerUT San Diego -- 5/21/12 Torlakson says 188 California school districts in 'financial jeopardy' -- School districts with 2.6 million of the state's 6 million K-12 students are in "financial jeopardy," state schools Supt. Tom Torlakson declared Monday, including 12 so troubled that they are virtually insolvent. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/21/12 Lawmakers push new plan to rescue California parks -- A bipartisan group of state lawmakers gathered on Monday to push a new plan to save dozens of California parks slated for closure this year. Chris Megerian LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 SoCal Assemblyman pleads not guilty to Concord drunken driving charges -- State Assemblyman and assistant majority Whip Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving charges that stem from a Concord arrest, court records show. Malaika Fraley in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/21/12 Feds launching probe of Oakland Schools Police -- The Oakland school district's police force is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation, district spokesman Troy Flint said on Monday. Katy Murphy in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/21/12 Apple's Tim Cook, Oracle's Larry Ellison had highest CEO compensations in 2011, study finds -- CEO Tim Cook easily had the highest compensation for the CEO of a large American company in 2011, a study has found, with a one-time restricted stock award giving him nearly five times the remuneration as the man just behind him on the list, Oracle's Larry Ellison. Jeremy C. Owens in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/21/12 'Mr. Ed' the Trojan Horse kicks off fight to kill term limits initiative -- Opponents of a term limits measure on the June ballot kicked off a campaign tour today using a carved 10-foot "Trojan Horse" -- named Mr. Ed -- to spread their message that Proposition 28 is deceptive. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/21/12 Ex-official arrested in L.A. County assessor corruption probe -- A former Los Angeles County property appraiser accused of improperly slashing the value of more than 100 Westside homes and businesses was taken into custody in Oregon on Monday, marking the first arrest in the wide-ranging corruption probe into the assessor's office. Jack Dolan and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/21/12 Facebook shares close near $34 on 2nd day of trading -- Facebook Inc.shares skidded on their second day of trading on Wall Street, falling below the initial public offering price of $38. Andrew Tangel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/21/12 Governor, legislators could face pay cut like other state workers -- A week after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed to effectively cut state worker pay by 5%, some members of a state panel that sets the salary for elected officials said Monday a reduction should also be extended to the governor and legislators. LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 Fox: California Forward Initiative Contains the Closest Thing to a Spending Limit -- The “pay-go” or pay-as-you go provision requires that any legislative tax cuts or spending programs to the tune of $25-million or more must designate a source to make up the lost funds or pay for the new program. Joel FoxFox & Hounds -- 5/21/12 High-speed rail: Money, politics, timing come together -- With billions of dollars at stake, California’s high-speed rail project is at a critical, do-or-die juncture: The Obama administration’s ultimatum to state lawmakers to fast-track the money resonates in the Capitol, but the state budget is riddled by shortages less than six weeks before the start of the new fiscal year and bullet-train politics remain volatile. Amy WongCapitol Weekly -- 5/21/12 Chevron oil worker died in area with history of spills, seeps -- The Kern County sinkhole in which a Chevron oil worker died last year was in an area with spills and seeps dating back to the mid-1990s - about a year after oil producers started using a controversial kind of injection drilling there, state regulators said in a report released today. David Siders SacBee Capitol AlertMichael J. Mishak LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 California lawmakers seek ban on using dogs to hunt bears, bobcats -- The state Senate on Monday voted to ban using dogs to hunt bears and bobcats in California, with some lawmakers saying the practice is neither humane nor sporting. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 Miller campaign responds to video release -- Hours after one of Rep. Gary Miller's primary opponents posted a blooper real of outtakes from a campaign video shoot, the Diamond Bar Republican answered — by posting the clips on his own website. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 5/21/12 Democratic rival nabs campaign bloopers of GOP Rep. Gary Miller -- The campaign team for Democratic congressional candidate Pete Aguilar, the mayor of Redlands, got its hands on campaign commercial bloopers of Republican rival Rep. Gary Miller of Diamond Bar -- and on Monday took great glee in sharing them with the world. Phil WillonLA Times PolitiCal$ -- 5/21/12 Dear Big Daddy, Whatever happened to common courtesy and table manners? It seems like they have been trumped by Blackberries, iPhones, tablets and the need to text and check email 24/7. The collegial power lunch has gone the way of the dodo. What can one do? --Irked in Arcata -- 5/21/12

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• 21 May ' 11:03

  May 21, 2012 2:57 AM

  Governor seeks to cut programs Dems pledge to save -- Gov. Jerry Brown's latest budget proposal attempts to close a formidable $15.7 billion deficit, but the real debate at the Capitol in the next few weeks probably will be over how to cut just a fraction of the big amount. Wyatt Buchanan -- 5/21/12 Skelton: 'Tax the rich' is the opposite of reform -- Gov. Jerry Brown defends his soak-the-rich tax proposal as just. And besides, he says, it's popular with the non-rich. George Skelton$ -- 5/21/12 Walters: Shouldn't hydro count against the carbon reduction mandate? -- A major component of California's crusade against global warming, one started by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and embraced by successor Jerry Brown, is the legal mandate to have 33 percent of electric power sales from "renewable sources" by 2020. -- 5/21/12 California inmate switch puts pressure on county jails -- The number of jail beds in Riverside County east of Los Angeles was finally catching up with the region's rapid growth when state lawmakers passed sweeping legislation that assigned thousands of inmates who would have gone to prison to their local lock-ups instead. GILLIAN FLACCUS -- 5/21/12 Bills seek to assist ex-felons seeking jobs -- Jeff Rutland was released from San Quentin State Prison nearly two years ago, ready to leave behind a 25-year criminal career. HANNAH DREIERDON THOMPSONAssociated Press -- 5/21/12 A current lawmaker on the ballot— who would know? -- Assemblywoman Beth Gaines has been a state lawmaker since she won a special election to fill an empty seat last year. But voters can't tell that from her ballot designation, which identifies her as a "small business owner" as she runs for re-election. DON THOMPSONAssociated Press -- 5/21/12 Support for pot in 2nd District House race -- Andy Caffrey, a Garberville resident running for Congress, stood before the media outside a former medical marijuana dispensary in Fairfax the other day and sparked up a - medicinal - joint. Joe Garofoli -- 5/21/12 Schrag: The Friends of Lung Cancer -- There are lots of good reasons to support Proposition 29, the tobacco tax initiative on the June 5 ballot, not least those named Philip MorrisR.J. Reynolds. Peter Schrag -- 5/21/12 Campaigns hot in SB County contests -- In San Bernardino County’s safely Democratic 47th Assembly District, Joe Baca Jr. wants to return to the job he held for a single term several years ago. And in the county’s safely Republican 33rd Assembly District, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is trying to avoid becoming a one-term lawmaker himself. -- 5/21/12 Follow the money... to find a close race -- Ever since Woodward and Bernstein's heyday, the phrase "follow the money" has become something of a cliche in political reporting. But cliche or not, there is always a clear corelation between the amount of money spent by independent groups in the last few weeks of a campaign and the closeness of the contest. Timm HerdtVentura Star -- 5/21/12 Campaign goofs, ballot shenanigans and more -- You know that old political joke, “Vote early, vote often”? Yeah, Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner’s heard it. And he’s been hearing it more lately, after his first mailer in his mayoral campaign assured people their vote counts … on June 4. (The election is June 5.) Ben Goad, Alicia RobinsonImran GhoriRiverside Press -- 5/21/12 CalBuzz: Calbuzz Solves Mysteries of the (Political) Universe -- So much of politics is scripted, focused-grouped and calculated that when a political professional says or does something out of the ordinary, absurd or just plain stupid, we often smack ourselves upside the head and say, “What were they thinking?” Jerry Roberts and Phil TrounstineCalBuzz -- 5/21/12    High-Speed Rail Rail authority policy to purge e-mails draws critics' ire -- A congressional committee is investigating California’s $68 billion bullet train project. The U.S. Government Accountability Office is investigating, too. Meanwhile, this proposal for the largest public works project in California history is the target of a flurry of lawsuits filed by local governments and opposition groups. Lance WilliamsCalifornia Watch -- 5/21/12 CalPERS looks at job-creating infrastructure -- The nation’s largest public pension fund, CalPERS, is holding a meeting in San Diego this week to discuss investments in California infrastructure, this one focusing on energy. Ed MendelCalpensions.com -- 5/21/12 Silicon Valley foreign worker search speeds up after lull -- Technology firms have tripled their recruitment of foreign workers this spring after a hiring lull of several years -- a development that is reigniting the debate over immigration rules affecting those workers. Matt O'Brien -- 5/21/12 Utah's experiment with 4-day workweek has lessons for California -- As Gov. Jerry Brown and labor unions negotiate to put state workers on a four-day, 38-hour workweek to cut payroll costs, they could learn a lot by looking east – to Utah. Jon Ortiz -- 5/21/12 Court-bound housing meltdown is stark at Plumas Lake -- At the height of the housing bubble, Plumas Lake seemed like a good deal to buyers willing to trade a long commute for a big house. Hudson Sangree -- 5/21/12 Golden State Warriors mum on purported move to San Francisco -- Amid reports that the Warriors have agreed to a deal for a new arena in San Francisco for 2017, team co-owner Joe Lacob issued a classic non-denial denial Sunday: Marcus Thompson II -- 5/21/12 Lawyers prey on foreclosure-facing homeowners in San Fernando Valley and beyond -- Paulette Breen sensed something was wrong when her home loan modification made her mortgage payments more expensive. Suspecting fraud, the Van Nuys resident hired a lawyer to sort things out. That only made things worse. C.J. Lin -- 5/21/12 Yahoo to sell half of its Alibaba stake for $7.1B -- Yahoo Inc. has agreed to sell half of its 40 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba for about $7.1 billion, and the struggling U.S. Internet company said it would return most of the cash to shareholders. Kelvin ChanAssociated Press -- 5/21/12 Fensterwald: LAO: No need to cut schools $5.5 billion -- The Legislative Analyst’s Office is suggesting an alternative to the massive cut to K-12 schools and community colleges that Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing if his tax initiative fails in November. John Fensterwaldeducatedguess -- 5/21/12 Pell Grants plug pulled for thousands of students -- A mother of four who was laid off in 2008, Danielle Torno had planned on turning her life around next year with the help of a Cal State East Bay business degree. Instead, the 36-year-old San Jose resident will be searching for another solution because of a little-noticed congressional decision to reduce or eliminate Pell Grants for hundreds of thousands of the poorest college students. Matt Krupnick -- 5/21/12 California's child care system faces deep cuts -- Deep spending cuts to California's child care system -- roughly 20 percent from the previous year -- would deny children of the working poor access to the kinds of programs that will prepare them for school, early education experts say. Katy Murphy -- 5/21/12 L.A. Unified a rare haven for health teachers -- The school district still has dedicated health classes while many others have ended theirs, largely for fiscal reasons. $ -- 5/21/12 May Revise puts transportation money into flex, some LEAs still need more -- Following a groundswell of opposition from school districts to his January proposal to eliminate future state transportation aid, Gov. Jerry Brown included the funding in the May revision of his 2012-13 budget. Kimberly Beltran SI&A Cabinet Report -- 5/21/12 Hurley: Watching California public schools sink — a preventable Titanic -- One hundred years ago last month, the cry “women and children first” echoed on the decks of the ill-fated Titanic. A century later, the ship carrying California’s future is listing in the water. Tamara HurleyTopEd -- 5/21/12 Cuts to summer school programs mean fewer kids have access to healthy meals -- Widespread cancellation of summer school classes throughout the state has not only taken away an academic boost for struggling students but has severely limited options for many children who count on school for a meal they might not otherwise get. Kimberly Beltran SI&A Cabinet Report -- 5/21/12 Q&A: Dr. Ernie Bodai, on global breast cancer stamp, Proposition 29 -- Dr. Ernie Bodai's pace is unrelenting. At 61, the Hungarian-born surgeon is actively promoting his global breast cancer stamp, campaigning for a tobacco tax on the June ballot and still treating patients as director of Kaiser Permanente's breast surgical services. Claudia Buck -- 5/21/12 Filling a need for bilingual health care -- All of the receptionists at the 11 Ventura County Centers for Family Health speak Spanish — because they have to. Hannah GuzikHealthyCal.org -- 5/21/12 Judge calls conservatorships a 'celebration of family' -- In a unique collaboration of L.A.-area institutions, 15 families are awarded limited conservatorships for the protection of adult children with disabilities. Teresa Watanabe$ -- 5/21/12 House approves perchlorate study -- The House of Representatives has unanimously approved legislation officials say will help in the cleanup of local groundwater from a harmful industrial chemical. San Bernardino Sun -- 5/21/12 Salton Sea's star has fallen -- Once a playground for celebrities, more recently for anglers and birders, the Salton Sea recreation area is likely to become a victim of California's budget crisis. Tony Perry$ -- 5/21/12 4 tons of pot found in the ocean off Dana Point -- Local and federal authorities spent several hours Sunday recovering more than 160 bales of marijuana found floating in the Pacific Ocean off Orange County. Julie Cart$ -- 5/21/12 Matier & Ross: Muni uses feds' funds for cameras it doesn't use -- Muni has been awarded more than $37 million in federal homeland security and other grants over the past five years for cameras to safeguard its buses, rail stations and maintenance yards - but it turns out the transit agency has installed fewer than 50 of them. -- 5/21/12 A totally Californian poet laureate -- Juan Felipe Herrera, 63, is the son of migrant farmworkers and plugged in to modern culture. He'd like to make the entire state a democratic, virtual poetry workshop. $ -- 5/21/12 Robin Gibb -- Robin Gibb, one of the three Bee Gees whose falsetto harmonies powered such hits as "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" and defined the flashy disco era died Sunday, his representative said. He was 62. GREGORY KATZAssociated Press -- 5/21/12 Obama's Afghanistan endgame -- President Barack Obama was every bit the garrulous host during the Sunday kickoff of the NATO summit in his hometown. But nothing he said mattered as much as these words: “The Afghan war, as we understand, it is over” with the withdrawal of ground forces at the end of 2014, he told journalists. GLENN THRUSH -- 5/21/12 Supreme Court faces pressure to reconsider Citizens United ruling -- Has anything changed in the world of campaign finance that might give pause to the five members of the Supreme Court who decided Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission exactly 28 months ago Monday? Or, to be more precise, has anything changed in the mind of at least one of them? Robert BarnesWashington Post -- 5/21/12 Secret Donors Still Find Ways To Remain Anonymous -- The latest deadline for the presidential candidates and the major superPACs to disclose their finances was Sunday night. The public and the press can find out who's been giving to the candidates, and how that money was spent. But there's a lot of political spending that isn't being reported. PETER OVERBYNPR -- 5/21/12 Romney starts to chip away at Obama's big fundraising lead -- He can garner bigger checks now that he has the Republican nomination in hand, but he still has a long way to go, campaign finance filings show. Melanie Mason and Joseph Tanfani$ -- 5/21/12 Supreme Court faces pressure to reconsider Citizens United ruling -- Has anything changed in the world of campaign finance that might give pause to the five members of the Supreme Court who decided Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission exactly 28 months ago Monday? Or, to be more precise, has anything changed in the mind of at least one of them? Robert BarnesWashington Post -- 5/21/12 Santorum, Gingrich campaigns owe millions -- Republican Rick Santorum ended his presidential campaign with $2.3 million in debt while Newt Gingrich owed $4.8 million, new federal filings show. T.W. FarnamWashington Post -- 5/21/12

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• 20 May ' 07:39

  May 20, 2012 3:26 AM

  California Democrats balk at deeper cuts for state's poorest residents -- Legislative Democrats aren't organizing a bake sale just yet, but they say they will desperately search for cash in the coming weeks to avoid the most severe cuts proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown. -- 5/20/12 Taking slice out of labor key to Gov. Jerry Brown's tax campaign -- Demanding a 5 percent pay cut is a curious way to reward some of your strongest political allies. But taking a slice from the hide of labor has become a key component to Gov. Jerry Brown's strategy of getting voters to pass his tax hikes in the fall. Steven Harmon -- 5/20/12 Governor now wants to keep juvenile lockups open -- Gov. Jerry Brown backed off a plan to phase out and eventually shutter the state's shrinking Division of Juvenile Justice after criticism from county officials who warned the closure would overwhelm local authorities and put youth offenders at risk. Marisa Lagos -- 5/20/12 The State budget: What's the problem? -- Here we go again. If it's May, California's state budget deficit has developed another beer gut – bloated and seemingly unmanageable. Dan Smith -- 5/20/12 Walters: California has reason to worry about its business climate -- The Los Angeles Times published an article last week about Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's efforts to recruit California businesses to his state, citing complaints about California's business climate. Dan Walters -- 5/20/12 Morain: Moderates see hope in top-two primary -- Mods seem to be on the rise, and that's good for California, although partisans remain convinced that the middle of the road is a place for yellow streaks and dead skunks. Dan Morain -- 5/20/12 New lines, rules spark campaign spending explosion -- Fueled by new political boundaries and court rulings, campaign committees representing special interests have revved up spending this election cycle, and much of that largesse is focused on Inland Southern California candidates. JIM MILLERBEN GOADRiverside Press -- 5/20/12 Bilbray's Democratic rivals train fire on each other — for now -- In January, Democrats Scott Peters and Lori Saldaña shook hands and settled to direct their resources toward ousting Republican Brian Bilbray from the House of Representatives. Their pact was short lived. Christopher Cadelago -- 5/20/12 Familiar names lead Assembly District 47 -- Democrats Cheryl Brown and Joe Baca, Jr. could easily be considered the favorites to make it though June's primary for Assembly District 47 and face each other in November. The have name recognition in local communities. They have funding from significant donors. They have support from high-profile politicians. But first, they will have to get by two Republicans, including a 95-year-old woman intent on helping her peers. Neil NisperosBenjamin Demers -- 5/20/12 8 candidates seek second chance in 47th Congressional District -- For years, Long Beach's congressional seat has been firmly controlled by Rep. Laura Richardson. Now, Richardson, a three-term Democrat facing a House ethics investigation, has moved to San Pedro to run against fellow Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn in the new 44th Congressional District that stretches from the Port of Los Angeles to South Gate. Eric BradleyLong Beach Press -- 5/20/12 For Democrats, no easy choice between Berman and Sherman -- Stop by Valley Beth Shalom in Encino for services and you might spot Congressman Howard Berman sitting in one aisle and Congressman Brad Sherman a few seats away. Dakota Smith -- 5/20/12 Jim Beall, Joe Coto compete for 15th Senate District each -- Two things stand out about the race for California's newly drawn 15th Senate District spanning much of San Jose and the West Valley. John Woolfolk -- 5/20/12 New Assembly swing district up for grabs -- The stakes are high for the three candidates running a hotly contested primary for the South Bay's new 66th Assembly District. Art MarroquinTorrance Daily Breeze -- 5/20/12 Contra Costa Supervisor Gayle Uilkema dies following bout with cancer -- Contra Costa County Supervisor Gayle Uilkema died Saturday morning with her family beside her as she lost her two-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 73. Matthias Gafni -- 5/20/12 Matier & Ross: George Lucas might build affordable housing -- "Star Wars" creator George Lucas could, indeed, make good on his idea of building affordable housing right next door to the high-income NIMBYs who blocked his plans for a production studio near his Lucas Valley ranch complex. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross -- 5/20/12 Lopez: Supervisors inexplicably fail to act on Baca, Noguez -- Surely the panel that oversees L.A. County could do more to to pressure the sheriff and assessor to resign. Steve Lopez$ -- 5/20/12 Willie's World: Fashion prices getting as rich as Facebook -- If you're looking for trickle-down from those high-tech stock offerings, just drop by Wilkes Bashford or Neiman Marcus, where high-end blazers are flying off the racks at $7,000 a pop. Willie BrownSan Francisco Chronicle -- 5/20/12 Amazon poised to get a cut of California sales taxes -- Eager to host Amazon warehouses and receive a cut of the tax on sales to customers statewide, two California cities are offering Amazon most of the tax money they stand to gain. Marc Lifsher$ -- 5/20/12 Farm Bill fight could affect Central Valley growers -- Eat your broccoli. After all, you might be helping to pay for it. Challenging a broccoli market dominated by California, researchers boosted by federal funds are on a multiyear mission to encourage new East Coast production. Michael DoyleFresno Bee -- 5/20/12 California missing out on 'green' manufacturing jobs -- When solar technology company SMA America was looking for a place to put its headquarters, Rocklin was a logical choice. California, after all, represents more than 40 percent of the national market for solar installations. Anne GonzalesSacramento Bee -- 5/20/12 California retailers reach out with bilingual clerks -- In a hypercompetitive retail environment, more national stores and some local chains are emphasizing that many of their employees are bilingual and can help customers whose first language is not English. Eve MitchellContra Costa Times -- 5/20/12 Fallout from Facebook IPO showers benefits on all -- If you live in the Bay Area, or in California, the Facebook halo will shine on you in the form of huge boosts for the entire technology industry, the local economy, the state's tax coffers and a host of businesses catering to newly minted Facebook millionaires. Carolyn SaidSan Francisco Chronicle -- 5/20/12 Hiltzik: Facebook shareholders are wedded to the whims of Mark Zuckerberg -- Because of Facebook's two-class stock structure, the social networking giant's founder and CEO can do whatever he wants with the company, no matter what other shareholders may vote. $ -- 5/20/12 With California Adventure growth, Disney now No. 1 Orange County employer -- The Silvermans are among the 3,000 new employees added at the Disneyland Resort – 2,300 at California Adventure – in the biggest hiring spurt of any Orange County company in years. SARAH TULLY -- 5/20/12 Graduating collegians cope with student debt in a weak economy -- Students and graduates from several Southland campuses talk of their loans and how paying them off figures into their plans. For some, the path seems secure; for others, uncertainty is the only certainty. Larry Gordon$ -- 5/20/12 Long Beach mother, daughter graduate together from Cal State Dominguez Hills -- When Natasha Smith-Patterson walked the stage to claim her associate degree from Compton College back in 1988, she clutched her 6-week-old daughter with one hand while accepting her piece of paper with the other. Rob KuzniaLong Beach Press -- 5/20/12 Afghan student, math teacher clash at Folsom Lake College -- Now, the bucolic campus has become a staging ground for a drama born of the 9/11 era that is playing out in an intersection of fear, misunderstanding and academic frustration. Stephen MagagniniSacramento Bee -- 5/20/12 Up to 13 LAUSD continuation schools may be closed as part of cost-cutting move -- More than one-fourth of Los Angeles Unified's continuation high schools may be shuttered next year as a cost-cutting move, shrinking a program seen as a last resort for students at risk of dropping out. Barbara Jones -- 5/20/12 Westside charter school teacher gone after allegations of cheating -- Teacher at an Ocean Charter campus was found to have given fourth-graders a chance to correct their mistakes on a state test, risking the school's API rating. Howard Blume$ -- 5/20/12 FDA rule clears medical devices without human testing -- The alarming outcomes brought new fuel to a longstanding debate over an FDA rule, known as 510 (k), that allows manufacturers to fast-track new medical devices to market without human testing. TONY SAAVEDRACOURTNEY PERKES -- 5/20/12 Leavenworth: Rice country fears it could get rolled in a Delta deal -- Flush with water, flush with international demand for their products, rice growers should be enjoying their salad days. And they are. Stuart Leavenworth in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/20/12 California medical pot advocates push bill to regulate legal dispensaries -- Medical marijuana advocates Saturday opened a three-day event to rally support to regulate a legal dispensary industry in California, spurred on by videotaped messages from two members of Congress who recently pushed an amendment to deny funds for federal raids on cannabis businesses. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/20/12 Borenstein: Amgen Tour was a celebration of community in the East Bay -- The Amgen Tour of California's sprint through the East Bay on Tuesday provided much more than just a bike race -- it offered a chance for the cycling community to come together in celebration. Dan Borenstein in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/20/12 Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg changes status to 'married' -- A day after taking his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg did something really important: He got married. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/20/12 Saunders: FTC vs. Skechers: Overhyped meets overkill -- The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million to settle charges that the company made "unfounded claims" about its Shape-up shoes. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/20/12 Obama may stay clear of court fight over Prop. 8 -- President Obama's endorsement of the right of gays and lesbians to marry doesn't mean he's going to join the legal challenge to California's Proposition 8. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/20/12 Obama could have a prayer among Ohio's white evangelicals -- A recent gathering of religious leaders in Ohio indicates that churches don't necessarily march in lock step with the Republican Party. But certain social issues could still make it a tough sell for the president. Mitchell Landsberg in the $ -- 5/20/12 McManus: A campaign bombshell -- If the court upholds the healthcare reform law, the president wins; if it declares the law unconstitutional, he loses. Right? Well, not so fast. Doyle McManus in the $ -- 5/20/12 Romneys donate $150,000 in personal funds to campaign -- Mitt and Ann Romney have invested their own money in his presidential bid, each donating $75,000 to the joint Romney-Republican National Committee Victory Fund for the month of May. Cameron JosephThe Hill -- 5/20/12 Is GOP trying to sabotage economy to hurt Obama? -- Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth. Charles Babington -- 5/20/12 Marco Rubio as vice president: the Bilderberg conspiracy -- That’s the current thinking among a worldwide collection of activists who are obsessed with the secretive Bilderberg Group, an alternating roster of global power players who loom as large — if not larger — in the online fever swamps of the fringe as the Trilateral Commission or the Council on Foreign Relations. KENNETH P. VOGEL -- 5/20/12

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• 19 May ' 20:14

  May 19, 2012 1:46 PM

  Tom Fuentes, longtime O.C. Republican Party leader, dies at 63 -- Tom Fuentes was chairman of the Orange County Republican Party from 1985 to 2004. He helped maintain its powerhouse status and is remembered as 'the godfather of every idealistic person in the party, young and old.' Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times$ MARTIN WISCKOL in the Orange County Register -- 5/19/12 Gavin Newsom debuts as cable talk show host -- Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, debuting as a cable talk show host on Friday night, told viewers he often wished to share in public the kinds of conversations he has with fascinating people all the time. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/19/12

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• 19 May ' 09:51

  May 19, 2012 2:40 AM

  California's deficit may climb, legislative analyst says -- Legislative Analyst Mac Tayor says the shortfall may be more than $1 billion larger than Gov. Jerry Brown's latest estimate, increasing the deficit to at least $17 billion. $ -- 5/19/12 California's legislative analyst: 4-day workweek would create problems -- Brown also hopes to save $839 million – about $402 million in the general fund – by moving workers to a four-day, 9.5-hour-a-day work schedule and docking their pay 5 percent. While the plan is still being fleshed out, state offices would likely be closed one day a week, providing some building-operation savings. Jon Ortiz -- 5/19/12 California's budget problems linger while many other states shape up -- The pile-on was in full effect within hours of Gov. Jerry Brown's announcement this week that California's budget deficit had grown to $15.7 billion, with The Week giving its national audience a summary of the Golden State's financial affairs. -- 5/19/12 Firm co-owned by legislator's husband gets state settlement -- The state paid a $74,400 settlement to a company co-owned by the husband of state Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel) after her office repeatedly called the prisons agency to check on a claim filed by the firm. $ -- 5/19/12 Centrist GOP candidates may offer chance to end California gridlock -- For years, running for office as a Republican in California boiled down to one core pledge, bound by a candidate's signature and enforced with a vengeance: no new taxes. Not anymore. Michael J. Mishak$ -- 5/19/12 Backers of health insurance rate regulation edge closer to ballot -- Supporters of a proposed ballot measure seeking tighter regulation of health insurance rates turned in 800,000 signatures statewide, confident that they will qualify for the Nov. 6 election. Chad Terhune$ -- 5/19/12 Brown's Budget Plan May End Debate Over Trial Court Autonomy -- For more than two years, the judiciary has been consumed by a public struggle over control of the branch, a push-pull between those who say judges should have a dominant role and those who want policy driven by the Judicial Council. In a single day, Gov. Jerry Brown may have made that fight moot. Cheryl MillerThe Recorder -- 5/19/12 -- 5/19/12 State senator agrees to talk reform with regional agencies -- State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier has called off one of his dogs. The lawmaker on Friday put off for a year his pursuit of a bill that would put four large Bay Area regional agencies under the control of a new directly-elected 15-member commission. Lisa Vorderbrueggen -- 5/19/12 Assembly race could be key to political power -- Republican Chris Norby won his Assembly seat in 2010 in a district that was 43 percent Republican. If the former county supervisor is re-elected to his 65th District seat, he will have to defeat challenger Sharon Quirk-Silva in a district where the difference between Democrats and Republicans is much tighter. EUGENE W. FIELDS -- 5/19/12 Assemblymen protest Councilman Richard Alarcon's plan to spend Lopez Canyon trust-fund money on anti-tobacco program -- Overriding protests from two state legislators, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a $100,000 program funded by the Lopez Canyon trust fund to fight cigarette sales to minors. Rick Orlov -- 5/19/12 High-Speed Rail Bullet train plan much improved, but risks remain, panel says -- The latest plan to build a California bullet train is a significant improvement over prior plans, but there remain significant risks that should be addressed if the Legislature appropriates money for the project, an independent review panel said Friday. Ralph Vartabedian$ -- 5/19/12 April job losses end state's eight months of gains -- Jobless rate falls as discouraged workers leave the labor force. Economists are disappointed by results amid a worsening state budget deficit, but cite long-term improvements. $ -- 5/19/12 California and Inland Empire jobless rates fall as people leave labor force -- A reported drop in the Inland Empire's unemployment rate to 11.7 percent would seem to signal an improving job market, but a closer look at the numbers shows the jobless rate dropped not because of a surge in hiring, but because the region's work force shrunk. Andrew EdwardsInland Daily Bulletin -- 5/19/12 Sacramento-area jobless rate drops a full point to 10.5% -- Friday's California unemployment numbers did not prompt thunderous applause, but there was enough good news to boost the spirits of economists. -- 5/19/12 Facebook IPO huge, but no 'pop' -- Still, while those looking for a huge pop in the social network's share price were disappointed, the company and some early investors raked in $16 billion. And Facebook, at $104 billion, ended the day among the most valuable companies in the country. Brandon Bailey, Peter DelevettSteve Johnson -- 5/19/12 Facebook's lackluster debut hurts other social media stocks -- Zynga, Yelp, Groupon and LinkedIn shares tumble on Facebook's first day as a publicly traded company. David SarnoLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 CBOE to start listing Facebook option contracts this month -- Because of high investor interest, the Chicago Board Options Exchange will start listing Facebook option contracts on May 29, sooner than normal. Chad TerhuneLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 Taxes - Fees Lawmakers question how L.A. transit tax money would be spent -- The rhetoric over a proposed extension of a Los Angeles County transportation tax heated up again this week after three members of Congress and a county supervisor called into question plans for using billions of dollars in additional revenue. Ari BloomekatzLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 Bill Cosby to USF grads: Make no excuses, have no fear -- Those forced to graduate from college and enter the cold and competitive Real World could do worse than have comedian Bill Cosby nudge them from their ivy-covered nest. Nanette Asimov -- 5/19/12 Banks: Can Jordan High's experiment work? -- Big changes at the Watts campus aim to increase students' academic success. But then there's their larger environment. Sandy BanksLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 California's child care system faces deep cuts -- Deep spending cuts to California's child care system -- roughly 20 percent from the previous year -- would deny children of the working poor access to the kinds of programs that will prepare them for school, early education experts say. Katy Murphy -- 5/19/12 ACLU questions Poway school's iPad program -- A Poway elementary school’s drive to equip fourth and fifth graders with iPads — mostly at their expense — is being called into question by the American Civil Liberties Union. Aaron BurginTawny Maya McCray -- 5/19/12 L.A. high-school chefs can stand the heat in culinary competition -- You could see it in students' hands, in the twist of their kitchen knives. Or in their neatly laid-out pots and pans. Or panache in their dash of salt. Confidence. Dana Bartholomew -- 5/19/12 Mad cow quarantines lifted at 2 California dairies -- Quarantines were lifted on two Central California dairies associated with a case of mad cow disease after investigators found no link between the illness and food the diseased bovine might have consumed, federal officials said Friday. -- 5/19/12    Environment Bay Area’s Controversial Housing & Transit Plan Clears Hurdle -- Officials from the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted on portions of Plan Bay Area, a 25-year strategy for land use and transportation for the Bay Area’s growing population, which is expected to surpass nine million by 2040. Jeremy Miller KQED Climate Watch -- 5/19/12 Federal judge blocks National Defense Authorization Act provision -- In a stunning turnaround for an act of Congress, a judge ruled Wednesday that a counterterrorism provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense appropriations bill, is unconstitutional. Dean KuipersLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 Tunnel, fence near Shingle Springs to help critters cross Hwy. 50 safely -- On a wooded and wildlife-rich stretch of Highway 50 in the foothills, Caltrans is about to launch an unusual road safety experiment – for critters and drivers alike. Tony Bizjak -- 5/19/12 LAPD agrees to change terrorism database amid complaints -- Responding to concerns over possible privacy invasions, the Los Angeles Police Department has agreed to change the way it collects information on suspected terrorist activity. Joel RubinLos Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/12 Inland medical marijuana activists head to Sacramento to advocate for legalization -- Local medical marijuana activists took a bus from Upland to Sacramento via Riverside on Friday to attend a unity conference and meet state legislators. Wes Woods IIInland Daily Bulletin -- 5/19/12 Obama to tap Bay Area again for campaign cash -- Two weeks after his record $15 million fundraising haul at George Clooney's Los Angeles home, President Obama returns to California next week for a two-day fundraising visit to the Bay Area. -- 5/19/12 Romney fundraising trails Obama -- Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee are making fundraising gains, but they still trail President Barack Obama. ROBIN BRAVENDER -- 5/19/12

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